reese is 4!

Reese turned 4 this month! Can't believe she's getting so big. She and I (Danielle) have had a special year together since we moved and I wasn't working enough for her to go to an MDO. She can be so funny, and sweet, but there are times when she is not my kid. I say that because she has always been a  Daddy's girl and those times when she is exerting her will I just don't have the stamina for it. She totally needs Chris' calm yet firm nature. She's going to be a force to be reckoned with one of these days.

She loves running, and really would burn up a track if we could get her to one every day. I'm thinking of trying to get a running club up and going at Greenmont when she starts Pre-K. She also loves gymnastics, and asks me to if we're going EVERY. DAY. She loves dress up and girly things. She wears her leotards, princess dresses, and now swimsuits more than regular clothes. She's always had a thing for make up, shoes, and accessories.

She's smart and picked up on writing her name in upper and lower case, learned her full name, and lots of letters and numbers this year. She loves music and singing. More often than watching a show or movie she would rather listen to music so she can sing and dance along. She still likes the occasional Goldie and Bear, Sophia, Doc McStuffins, Puppy Dog Pals, Vampirina, or whatever is on Disney Jr.

We've had lots of extra time together while traveling to OK. She has been a trooper, although I know she doesn't really understand everything that's going on. She is definitely our little adventurer. She loved, loved, loved the plane ride, and even the turbulence was fun for her. We ended up traveling from OKC to Tulsa on her actual birthday, and she picked Braum's for lunch and to go to Chickfila for dinner, a favorite place for her. She also got to help dog-sit her dog cousin, Gryffin, and have him stay with us at Grandma Wilson's.

One of the things that is so wonderful about her is that she loves going to church. I pray that she always loves attending class, singing in worship, and learning more about Jesus. She's done so well adjusting to a huge move, and so many changes in one year. Chris calls her his "Little Goose," and they've also had a extra time this year while she stays with him during my classes. Reese is so full of life! We love her to pieces!

elle is anne frank

Elle's class did a wax museum project the first week of May. Her teacher has a big collection of the "Who was..." books. They were allowed to write down their top three picks and then she assigned them a character to read about and write a speech as if they were that person. They had to have a costume, and some props. The day of the wax museum people would come by and put a coin in their can and they would come to life, and read their speech.

Elle was assigned Anne Frank. She read her biography, and did a great job writing her speech! She was so excited to do this project, especially once we got the costume. I found this WWII era costume for girls on Amazon. One of the best things about this project was that it provided something to distract her from the fact that Reese, Copper, and I were leaving the day before. Chris was able to go up and get pictures and see her in action. She did wonderful!

Aren't they cute?!

Anne Frank and Dolly Parton

She had a great idea to put her notecards in her diary so it looked like she was reading from that.

cleveland april 2018

We finally got to make a trip to Cleveland to visit RV! It was long overdue and I wish we had more time to be there. Elle ended up staying in WV because she had a birthday sleepover and the Jr. Youth Rally at church. She had a good weekend too, but was certainly missed. It was a new season for us having one of our cubs have other activities apart from the nuclear family.

We drove up Friday evening and stayed at a nice hotel. Even though we were pushing bedtime Reese and Todd still had to go swim. RV met us at the hotel so we could have a little extra time with him.

Saturday morning we did breakfast at the hotel, then went to the Cleveland Children's Museum. It's in an old mansion, and they've done a fantastic job with it! They have a coat room where you can store all your items, which is nice so that you don't have lug everything around. The entry floor also has a great art room, with crafts set up ready to do; and there's an eating area if you want to bring food.

The bottom level had a wonderful wooden play structure, reading area, and air and water play room. I think the kids loved the water play the best.

The top floor has these fun tables for play, and tons of dolls from around the world and doll houses. Most are just to look at, but they have little flashlights the kids can use to search for the museums hidden logo in each one.

RV has always talked about the great thrift stores in Cleveland, and we ended up with a little extra time that evening to check one out. We found a few things we couldn't live without, including this great American Girl Doll game for Elle. We had a good time catching up with her on her weekend. She had a great time playing with friends at her sleepover, Jr. Youth Rally, and with some other church friends until we got home.